This month’s feature is celebratory in many ways. It honors a woman who has made a positive impact on my own life, and I know many others. A woman who uses social media to share positivity & truth – two main virtues which this blog is all about. It commemorates a humble & kind-hearted woman who deserves to be acknowledged for all her accomplishments, and upcoming new life chapter.
June’s Woman of the Month goes to Ciara Kelly, a 28 year-old Irish doctor who is originally from Boston, USA. Ciara has a plethora of qualifications and degrees (aka this girl loves to learn!). She originally started her undergraduate career at DIT/TCD studying Human Nutrition and Dietetics, but after a year she decided to go into medicine. She completed her undergraduate medical degree in 2015 at Trinity College Dublin (MB BCh BAO) and most recently has obtained her Masters in Public Health (MPH) and Nutrition from University College Dublin. Ciara has also passed postgraduate exams in medicine, making her a member of the Royal College of Physicians Ireland (MRCP Ireland) and is also a scholar of Trinity College Dublin (Sch TCD), meaning since she got a first in the scholarship exams during her second year at Trinity! I told you she is impressive!
I first met Ciara (@theirishbalance) at a women’s health & fitness meetup (#girlgains), and so naturally I started following her on the Gram. Since then, I’ve enjoyed learning from her expertise, trying out her recipes, and reading her book reviews! Ciara actually had a huge impact on me as I started to gain a healthy relationship with food again. I was tracking macros which became an obsession. She shared a post on her blog about her own experience tracking macros but why she stopped. It was really eye opening to me, and I remember telling her I wanted to stop obsessing over it, so I did – and haven’t looked back! I have a much healthier relationship with food now and enjoy it freely. To check out her blog post on tracking macros click here.
Ciara started blogging in 2016, a year after she first got Instagram, which she used for personal content at that time. One reason which led her to launching a blog was because she would share food pictures on Instagram, and friends would ask her for the recipes. “I figured it would be more useful to have them all in one place. I’m a big foodie, and firmly believe cooking should not be boring or a massively time-consuming chore. I began to try and create recipes that were nourishing, time-friendly and of course, tasty!”
From there, Ciara became really interested in how aspects of lifestyle (nutrition, exercise, stress, sleep, social connection) affect health, so she started to educate herself on this topic. “I decided that as a doctor trying to live a healthy balanced life (not easy, whatever your day job is!) in a sustainable way, I would share both my journey doing so and the evidence-based information I learnt along the way. I saw modern medicine do amazing things for sick and vulnerable patients in my day job – but I also saw a lot of patients with chronic diseases that have a huge lifestyle component, and I didn’t feel like I had learnt a lot about those in my medical training as a student.” Ciara’s fascination with these connections led her to read more about health & wellness, which she began to write about on her blog.
There is a large amount of information shared online regarding health & wellness, especially fitness and nutrition, which lacks evidence or science to back it up. Much of this information is being shared by people who don’t have the qualifications or credibility to share it. Because of this, Ciara knew she had to share the facts and her own research on these topics. Thus, through her blog, she hopes to combat some of the health nonsense shared across the internet: “I realised that as my platform grew, my voice did, and does, have value, and I felt that writing and sharing health-related information on my blog and Instagram was a wonderful avenue to combine my work as a doctor and my love of science and writing, to reach a large number of people with a responsible evidence-based message about our lifestyle behaviours and overall health.”
Even outside of the internet, there are false claims being made regarding health and nutrition. This is one of Ciara’s biggest pet peeves: when health-related myths and lies are spread by people who aim to personally gain from doing so. She particularly despises the Netflix documentary, ‘What the Health’. This documentary makes discredited and unfounded claims which have made a lot of people fearful and confused about foods that actually have proven health benefits. In particular, dairy and eggs, but inaccurate claims were also made within the documentary about meat and fish. “The world needs many things, but health myths are not among them, and in fact because they’re often wrapped up in a ‘cure for all ailments’ package, they appeal to what people want to believe – that there’s a silver bullet, magic solution to any illness, physical or mental. But in fact, it’s the most basic healthy habits, done consistently over your lifetime that will make the biggest difference to our health as a population. For example, eating five or more portions of fruit and vegetables per day, or getting out for a brisk walk a few times a week.” Ciara is spot on; we are so easily swayed as consumers, but need to be aware of false claims like this.
In July, Ciara is moving to Galway city to start a four-year training programme for doctors in public health medicine. Naturally, she is very excited about this new adventure, and is especially excited for the foodie scene in Galway. As she transitions there, one of her health goals is to say no to ‘rules’ and yes to ‘life’. “I may be a doctor but I’m also a human being, and I’ve definitely fallen into the ‘x food is bad, y food is good’ way of thinking so common in modern society. I’m done with that. I know what foods I love to eat, and I know what fuels and nourishes my body the best.”
She also wants to continue trying new ways to move this year as she starts her new life in Galway. As an athletic girl who grew up playing team sports, she originally started working out on her own through running and using gyms. Over the last year she has fallen in love with yoga, walks and weight training – the perfect mix for her mind and body. She has also recently tried Reformer Pilates and loved it, as well as went for her first sea swim! “I can’t wait to try out the fitness scene in Galway. Similar to food – no rules, and no definitions of myself based on how I move my body. Just more of what I enjoy.”
Ciara’s biggest goal once she moves, however, is to write a book. Eeekkk!! She has always loved writing since she was a kid, and has been thinking about writing her own book a lot this year. “[I] will probably start after I move to Galway and get settled in my new job – I’ve had a few ideas! Watch this space!” I was so excited when I heard this and will certainly be keeping tabs on when she releases her book!!
Currently, Ciara is obsessed with trying new recipes. “I’m building up a stock of new recipes for moving to Galway in a few weeks and I’m really enjoying doing so.” She makes sure to mention her obsession with chickpeas: “You can do SO MUCH with them, both cooking and baking, and they’re a cupboard staple for me every week.”
Ciara’s favorite product at the moment: the ‘Sleepy’ body lotion by Lush. “It goes on every night when I settle in to read my book before bed – the lavender vibes in it are amazing.”
Ciara loves to read and says two of the best books she has read this year are “Educated” by Tara Westover and “How to Fail” by Elizabeth Day. They’ve been added to my list!
By practicing gratitude, Ciara stays grounded and keeps herself motivated through the hustle and bustle of life. “There is always something you can be grateful for, and I think maintaining that approach in the face of tricky times is really valuable. It’s easier said than done I know, but worth the effort.”
Ciara has two pieces of GOLDEN advice for all you women out there:
“First, everyone has chapters they don’t read out loud. Meaning that no matter how awesome social media might make everyone else’s life seem compared to yours, it’s probably NOT the case. Social media is a curated highlight reel of people’s lives, the best bits shared, not the duvet days, the tears, the pain – or if they are, minimally so in comparison to the better days. Wherever possible, avoid comparisons with people you follow on social media.
Secondly, your weight does not define your worth. And should never be how a person is valued in society. There are so many factors that make us unique as individuals – genetics, family, culture, language, place of residence, opportunities in life, personality, medical history, lifestyle behaviours – and if we were all the same size, shape, sort, it would be REALLY boring, and as people, we are so much more than any number on the scales. We need to make being our own best friend a priority in life, especially around how we look, because it’s far too easy to be your own worst critic. If you wouldn’t say it to your best buddy, don’t say it to yourself.”
For more evidence-based information on health & wellness, along with daily inspiration, follow Ciara on instagram (@theirishbalance) and Twitter. Be sure to check out her blog, and subscribe, too!